National Lottery Day: Celebrate in NJ with $1.5B in Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots
Happy National Lottery Day!
Bet you didn't even know that is a holiday... well, it is. (It's also National Peach Ice Cream Day and National Yellow Pig Day, but let's not focus on that.)
To celebrate the lotto's big day this year the Powerball and Mega Millions are offering up over $1.5 billion in jackpots on Monday and Tuesday this week.
Neither of the national lotteries have been won since mid-April, so both jackpots have been growing for months.
But before you got counting your millions or billions, there are some things you need to know.
Odds of winning the lottery
The odds of winning the Powerball are: 292,201,338-to-1.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions are: 302,575,350-to-1.
The odds of winning both jackpots? Not very likely.
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But you gotta be in it to win. So here's a look at the lotteries and what you need to know to play.
Powerball jackpot: $900 million
Up first is the Powerball with an estimated $900 million jackpot for Monday night's drawing, according to the Powerball website. It is the third largest Powerball jackpot and the seventh largest U.S. lottery ever (see chart below).
The cash option is $465.1 million — which means you get a lump sum payment versus annual payouts spread out over 29 years.
Looking for an edge? These are the luckiest Powerball numbers
How to play the Powerball: The cost is $2 per ticket, but you can add the Power Play for $1, which will increase the amount of your potential prize up to five times the original prize (except for the jackpot and Match 5). Each player selects five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls and one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball. However, you can also have the lottery machine generate a quick pick ticket with random numbers for you. Prizes vary from $4 for matching the Powerball, to $1 million for matching all five white balls (except in California), to the jackpot for matching all six balls. You can check all the prize payouts on the Powerball website here.
When is the Powerball drawing held? Powerball drawings are held three times a week — Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Monday drawings were added in 2021.
Location, location, location: These are the states with the most Powerball jackpot winners
Mega Millions jackpot: $640 million
On Tuesday, the Mega Millions' jackpot will be an estimated $640 million, according to the Mega Millions website. It is the seventh largest Mega Millions jackpot and the 16th largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever.
The cash option for the Mega Millions is $328 million.
How do I play Mega Millions? The cost is $2 per ticket, but you can add the Megaplier for $1, which will increase the amount of your potential prize up to five times the original prize, except for the jackpot. Each player selects five numbers from 1 to 70 for the white balls and one number from 1 to 25 for the Mega Ball. However, you can also have the lottery machine generate a random Quick Pick for you. You don't need to be a U.S. citizen or a resident of the particular state where you purchase your ticket.
Looking for an edge? These Mega Millions numbers are drawn the most
When is the Mega Millions drawing held? Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.
Where can I play Powerball, Mega Millions?
You can play the game in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The states not offering state lotteries are: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. You can also play the Powerball in Puerto Rico.
Some states offer online sales and there are third-party lottery apps that are licensed in some jurisdictions, but beware of scam websites.
Lucky? These are the states with the most Mega Millions jackpot winners
What is the deadline to buy lottery tickets?
The deadline for purchasing tickets varies by state so don't wait until the last minute. The deadline can be anywhere from 15 minutes to hours prior to the lottery drawing.
Top 20 U.S. lottery jackpots ever
Here's a look at the top jackpots won in the United States, between the Powerball and the Mega Millions lotteries:
$1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee
$1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina
$1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2022: Won in Maine
$1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: Illinois
$1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan
$768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin
$758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017: Won in Massachusetts
$754.6 million, Powerball: Feb. 6, 2023: Won in Washington
$730 million,, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021: Won in Maryland
$699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021: Won in California
$687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018: Two winners in Iowa, New York
$656 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012: Three winners in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
$648 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 17, 2013: Two winners in California, Georgia
$632.6 million, Powerball, Jan. 5, 2022: Two winner in California, Wisconsin
$590.5 million, Powerball, May 18, 2013: Won in Florida
$587.5 million, Powerball, Nov. 28, 2012: Two winner in Arizona, Missouri
$564.1 million, Powerball, Feb. 11, 2015: Three winners in North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ lottery: National Lottery Day Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots
